How do I check if a contractor is licensed in Virginia?

Look the licence up yourself

The quickest check is Virginia's own record. DPOR, the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation, keeps a free License Lookup where you can search by business name, person or licence number.^[3] If you would rather talk to someone, call the Board for Contractors at (804) 367-8511.^[2] The Board can also tell you about past complaints and disciplinary actions.^[2]

Do the search even when the contractor hands you a number. DPOR's own consumer guide warns that a licence number printed in an advertisement or on a business card does not on its own mean the licence is valid.^[2]

A contractor needs a Virginia licence for any job worth more than $1,000.^[1] Below that line, the state does not require one.

Check the three things on the record

1. Status. The licence should be current, not expired, suspended or revoked.
2. Class. The class decides how big a job the business may take on. Class C covers a single job over $1,000 but under $30,000, and less than $250,000 of work in a 12-month period.^[1] Class B covers a single job from $30,000 up to, but not including, $150,000, or $250,000 to just under $1 million in a year.^[1] Class A covers a single job of $150,000 or more, or $1 million or more of work in a year.^[1] A Class C business quoting a $45,000 kitchen is quoting work its licence does not cover.
3. Specialty. The record lists what kind of work the licence is for, such as plumbing, electrical, HVAC or roofing. A general building contractor can take on specialty work, but only if it holds that specialty itself or has a contractor with that specialty do the work.^[2] Virginia makes electrical, plumbing and HVAC contractors hold a master tradesman licence as a condition of the contractor licence.^[1]

Match the name on the record to the name on your quote and contract. A licence belongs to a business, and work is meant to be done under the licence of the business you are paying.

Why the check is worth five minutes

Hiring a licensed contractor makes you eligible for compensation from Virginia's Contractor Transaction Recovery Fund if the contractor's conduct is improper or dishonest.^[2] Hire someone without a licence and that protection is gone, and the Board may not be able to help with a complaint at all.

A licensed contractor also owes you paperwork. Virginia law requires licensed contractors to give you a written contract for residential work.^[2] The same guide suggests a deposit of no more than 10% of the total price or $1,000, whichever is less, unless the job needs custom-made materials.^[2] A contractor who wants half up front in cash, before anything is written down, is worth a second look.

How Loclis shows licences

Every business in the Loclis directory is listed from DPOR's own register, with its licence number, class and the date the record was read, and a link back to the lookup so you can check it yourself. You can browse a town, for example businesses in Blacksburg, or a trade, like plumbing repair. Loclis only calls a credential verified after a person has checked it; the rest is labelled as reported. How Loclis checks businesses explains the difference.

If the job also involves a water heater, read whether replacing one needs a permit before you hire.

When you are ready, describe the job once and licensed local businesses send quotes. Nothing is booked or charged until you pick one.